Today marks 64 years since the international withdrawal of the drug, thalidomide, from the market, yet survivors with the Irish Thalidomide Association are forced to continue their campaign for justice. As the Taoiseach knows, I have been raising the need for justice for thalidomide survivors for years. I am always assured in replies that a resolution process is under way. However, survivors continue to contend with undue bureaucratic delays and at this stage they deserve justice, compensation and a support package designed around the lifelong disabilities and evolving needs they have as a result of thalidomide. Dragging out this process has been so problematic for them. People are dying. The mothers are dying and the adult survivors themselves are dying without seeing justice. It is long past time that this 64-year saga came to an end. Can the Taoiseach update the House on the process and when thalidomide survivors are going to see justice?

The lifelong package is there. We have a liaison person from the HSE and there is an office working with survivors and victims of the thalidomide drug. It is substantial. No one wants to get this concluded more quickly than I do, and indeed the Tánaiste and others do. We met recently with the group. We had a very good meeting. We will be meeting again in early December. We had set up a mediation process and a judge was appointed. I do not want to say too much in public, but I will put it this way. I am annoyed, quite frankly, about the pace of this. I will say no more, but there are issues that have delayed this and that I have concerns about.

I articulated that to the group. We agreed we want to progress this as quickly as possible and I think we can.